Mumbai Crime: SoBo businessman robbed of Rs 32 lakh by driver

The driver and his accomplice wanted to chill in Goa, but will instead be cooling their heels in jail

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Two crooks looted a SoBo businessman of Rs 32 lakh — no matter that the notes were in the old denominations of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 — so they could go holiday in Goa where they were sure that they could put them to use. Instead, they ended up making a one-way trip to jail.

The complainant, Sunil Majethia (50), is a resident of Cumbala Hill, Nepean Sea Road and runs a tours and travel business. Sunil recently posted an ad on Quikr, looking for a driver. That’s when one of the accused, Shahrukh Niyaz Ahmed (23), got in touch with him. Shahrukh was an Ola cab driver and he told the businessman that he was not only willing to work for him, but would also help him earn extra money.

Lure of money“Shahrukh claimed that he could help Sunil’s travel company by arranging a tie-up with Air India and also promised to develop an app to generate more business, increasing income by about Rs 50,000 per month,” said API Praful Wagh, Thane Rural local crime branch.

On November 16, the 50-year-old called and said he had to go to Gujarat for a property deal. On hearing this, Shahrukh said that the app developer was also in Gujarat, and they could meet him together. They set out in two cars — Sunil and his brother-in-law were in one, and Shahrukh drove the other car in which Sunil’s sister and another female relative were seated, with a bag of Rs 32 lakh in cash.

When they reached Valsad, Sunil got a call informing him that the property deal was off. Swayed by the sight of all that cash, Shahrukh had already hatched a plan to steal it. They began to drive back to Mumbai, and when they reached Kashimira, Shahrukh told Sunil if they waited near Delhi Darbar hotel, the app developer would come and meet them. “Shahrukh then called his accomplice Ajay Suresh Tiwari (25) there. Ajay arrived on a Dio bike. They snatched the bag of cash and fled,” added Wagh.

Investigation launchedA case was registered at the Kashimira police station in the wee hours of November 17. The cops tried to track Shahrukh down with the help of his mobile number, but discovered that he had registered the SIM card using an alias. “Shahrukh was nabbed within a day, followed by the arrest of Ajay on November 19,” said PSI Abhijeet Tailor.

Currency no object“They had planned a full trip to Goa, and Shahrukh had spent Rs 30,000 on clothes and a bag, so he could enjoy the trip. The cash was in Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, but he was sure that he could use the banned notes in Goa,” said API Wagh.